Questions tagged [weather]
Weather means atmospheric conditions including wind, temperature and precipitation, often in a specific area or at a specific time.
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1answer
72 views
What is the meaning of R88/70D in this METAR from Ashgabat International airport?
The following METAR is from Ashgabat airport (UTAA)
UTAA 071300Z 13006KT 9999 FEW050CB BKN050 BKN100 15/06 Q1013 R88/70D
NOSIG
What does R88/70D mean, I couldn't find any references?
3
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1answer
141 views
Is navigation around thunderheads done at the pilot's discretion?
It's my understanding that if a pilot is flying over an ocean or otherwise uncontrolled airspace and they encounter a cumulonimbus, they navigate around it at their discretion.
How does this happen ...
3
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3answers
165 views
What is the purpose of including sea level pressure and temperature in a METAR?
In a METAR such as this one:
KGOK 161553Z AUTO 18011KT 4SM BR OVC007 07/05 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP201
T00670050
Translated to:
Jan 16, 1553Z, Automated. Mist, Wind from 180° at 11 knots, 4 statute
...
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3answers
100 views
How is the effect of wind on arrival time handled?
If a commercial plane encounters strong tailwinds, would the pilots set the autopilot for a fixed arrival time (if that is possible), or would it be ok to arrive way ahead of schedule?
I imagine ...
3
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1answer
56 views
When is a high pressure system associated with IFR/MVFR conditions?
So I've read that typically high pressure systems bring good weather and clear skies. However, for the current high pressure system we're experiencing in central USA, we're having quite a bit of IFR/...
1
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1answer
48 views
Can a SIGMET last less than initially forecasted?
Lets say I have a SIGMET that says VALID 310800/311200.
Is it possible that by 1100 the SIGMET would not be active anymore or it will always be valid until the published end time?
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3answers
186 views
Did AF447 cross dangerous weather?
question
Did the Air France 447 pilots endanger the passengers by not diverting around but flying straight through the weather system encountered and pictured below ? Or was this a defendable, ...
1
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1answer
167 views
When do pilots facing bad weather turn back (U-turn)?
Passenger aircraft are not supposed to cross red areas on the weather radar. But what if the weather system is too large to circumnavigate and red areas inside the system are too large/prevalent to ...
5
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3answers
128 views
Are winds that are not from the prevailing wind direction more often gusty, and why?
It seems to me that, looking at the ground weather forecasts (as opposed to, say, low level forecasts), it's far more common for the wind to be predicted to be significantly gusty when it is blowing ...
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3answers
191 views
How do pilots decide whether to circumnavigate bad weather?
How does an airline pilot decide in the air whether to circumnavigate or fly through bad weather visibly looming ahead and/or displayed on the weather radar ?
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0answers
52 views
What is the specific FAA regulation with regards to a pilot dropping jumpers into a solid cloud base? [duplicate]
What is the FAA regulation with regards to a pilot dropping jumpers into a solid cloud base? I saw some parachute jumpers come through a solid cloud layer with a base at around 1300 AGL. They landed ...
0
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1answer
111 views
Do any civilian aircraft use AESA or PESA for weather radar?
Are there any weather radars in civilian aircraft that uses active or passive array techniques? I know that the most of the radar used in the civilian aircraft use doppler effect and latest military ...
3
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1answer
222 views
What if the tower Is obstructed by clouds?
I know towers use radar to watch aircraft, obviously. But what about ground controllers? What if their view is obstructed by a low cloud level/fog?
Is there such a thing as ground-based traffic ...
0
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2answers
47 views
Remote access to Area Forecast Discussion
Is it possible to access Area Forecast Discussion via SMS? I fly to remote areas frequently (Wilderness), and after several days, it is almost impossible to get a good weather forecast, (one you're ...
3
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0answers
110 views
Diversions because of fog: What are the reasons?
It's fog season again around my local airport MUC (EDDM), and I have noticed a number of diversions recently. Some planes were holding a bit before attempting to land, performed a go around and then ...
2
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1answer
117 views
With wind, what will a perfectly circular flight path relative to the surrounding air look like from the ground? [duplicate]
Let's suppose that an airplane flying at a uniform airspeed follows a perfect, level, closed circular trajectory with respect to the mass of air. Now, seen from the ground, and in the presence of a ...
10
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2answers
1k views
How long does a wind shear last?
I've got a job interview next week and the interviewer asked my colleagues this question. I didn't find the answer online, I personally don't think that there is a certain duration for a wind shear ...
0
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2answers
122 views
What should I look for in weather reports in order to pick a day for glider flying?
I understand weather can change unexpectedly, and local sky condition (e.g. cloud types) can't be predicted, but if I want to fly glider at a specific location, say, some time next week, and use ...
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3answers
423 views
Do IFR / VFR weather minimums include ceilings?
I'm not really sure how to ask my question, but there are classifications for weather conditions for MVFR, IFR, and LIFR. The FAA also has weather minimums for flying VFR in the different airspaces ...
6
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2answers
335 views
How did this air force plane likely get into the eye of Hurricane Florence? [duplicate]
The annotation for this CNN video says
Air Force plane flies into Hurricane Florence
Watch as a US Air Force plane flies into the eye of Hurricane Florence to collect weather data for the ...
3
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2answers
113 views
Is the size of hail on the ground any indication of the winds and updrafts of a thunderstorm?
Is there any rule of thumb or way to estimate the wind speeds or up and down drafts inside a storm by the size of hail that reaches the ground?
8
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2answers
340 views
Can small planes see lights on the ground?
I live about 5 miles from a small airport. At night, during rain or snow storms when I imagine there would be poor visibility, I always turn our outside house lights on, in case they could possibly ...
8
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2answers
909 views
When the winds aloft are light and variable, what wind direction and speed should I use for flight planning?
What do you input in a navlog for wind direction and velocity, when the wind and temp forecast says 9900+18? I know 9900 means light and variable winds less than 5kts but how do I determine the ...
2
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1answer
135 views
Where can I find the German GAFOR online?
Where can I access the GAFOR for Germany for free online (or at least something close)?
0
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1answer
79 views
Weather Reporting of wind direction [duplicate]
General weather reporting for wind direction in Australian Standard the degrees in wind direction identifies where the wind is coming from.
Is it the same around the world?
3
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1answer
237 views
In an ATIS broadcast, is the visibility in statute or nautical miles?
I think I remember seeing somewhere that since it's an observation at the surface, statute miles are used for the visibility. Would be nice if someone had a reference.
21
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3answers
3k views
Was ATC overstepping its boundaries when advising a pilot to ignore a cell warning?
I found a clip on YouTube (via an article on Jalopnik) of an Aer Lingus pilot departing from JFK. Due to a weather cell showing up on his instruments, he can not make the left ATC asks him to make.
...
13
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1answer
3k views
Why is the flight duration of the same flight different in different months? [duplicate]
For example:
CX880 (HKG TO LAX) takes 13h40m on the 2nd of August, but only takes 12h50m in September.
CI008 (TPE TO LAX) is the same; it takes half an hour less in September than in August.
What ...
23
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3answers
3k views
How do hot air balloons navigate?
Hot air balloons are quite obviously carried along with the wind, so how can they be navigated? Choosing the correct launch point relative to the desired landing point would seem to play a major part ...
2
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0answers
46 views
Can a weather forecast tell me if airplanes will leave long contrails? [duplicate]
Training 7 ball and 5 club juggling requires me to look up into the sky for durations of up to one minute. Frequently, this is very taxing on my eyes and, frustratingly, requires me to wear sunglasses....
0
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1answer
150 views
What does this wind symbol mean? [duplicate]
At https://www.aviationweather.gov on the Forecasts puldown, then the Aviation Forecasts selection, the chart opens and often shows what looks like a letter R with a tail in the lower right, in ...
3
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2answers
1k views
Icing conditions temperature range: SAT or TAT?
Considering the general rule of thumb defining potential icing conditions: temperature between +10 and -40 degrees C and presence of visible moisture,
is the temperature range regarding TAT (total ...
3
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1answer
338 views
Why were these Hawkeyes flying in a circular pattern?
A couple of months ago I was near the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, when I saw 3 or 4 planes flying in a tight circular pattern. The planes were on the larger side, prop driven and had large ...
2
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1answer
268 views
Why does GR mean hail in a METAR?
Wouldn't you think they'd choose HL instead?
That might confuse pilots who frequently see SS (Sandstorms),
DS (Dust Storms) and VA (Volcanic Ash).
0
votes
1answer
628 views
What API can I use to get FAA NOTAMS or will this one I found work?
I am not sure if this is the correct place to ask this because it has to do with APIs with XML/JSON/SOAP, but it also has to do with aviation.
I am in dire need to find an API associated with the FAA ...
0
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1answer
68 views
What to do when moisture forms on the helicopter's canopy in a weather front?
Moisture has condensed on the canopy of your helicopter as you fly through a weather front – what should you do?
2
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1answer
105 views
What does “RA” mean in the FAA Terminal Constraints?
I'm trying to interpret the Terminal Constraints listed on the Operations Plan Advisory (https://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/adv_spt.jsp). RA seems to be used in the context of weather, but I haven't been ...
3
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1answer
285 views
What do these numbers and symbols on the ICAO SIGMET chart represent?
Anybody who can identify the numbers and alphabets in the red, green, and purple circles on the chart above?
1
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1answer
126 views
How can I find out what time an airport was closed due to weather?
Where do I find at what time an airport was closed, due to inclement weather, on a specific date? I completed the first leg of my flight, which was one hour from take-off to landing. When I arrived in ...
5
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2answers
1k views
How do modern commercial aircraft handle dust storms?
I live in West Texas where dust storms are an occasional fact of life. I am interested in how modern jet aircraft handle dust storms such as the one seen in the photo. From a pilot POV I can see that ...
3
votes
1answer
809 views
What's the difference between aquaplane and hydroplane?
If one reads through 10 articles describing a plane which overran a contaminated runway, the term aquaplane will be used 9 times and the term hydroplane once (and on that one time there will be a ...
1
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1answer
87 views
What is the reason behind the colors used for different flight categories?
In Skyvector, Foreflight and Aviation Weather Center the following colors are used for flight conditions:
LIFR = Magenta
IFR = Red
MVFR = Blue
VFR = Green
In most contexts, red is used as the ...
3
votes
3answers
411 views
How can an inexperienced pilot tell if the weather is good enough for flying?
When I look at weather in the morning of my flight, it looks good. However, the actual determination can be made later during the day closer to my flight time.
Being a student pilot, how can I ...
3
votes
1answer
265 views
Can aircraft depart/arrive after another aircraft has sprayed snow on the runway?
Does snow spray affect runway surface friction? The weather was bitterly cold on March 18th, 2018 and Birmingham airport was covered with snow. As you can see in this video, an A380 sprays snow on the ...
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1answer
250 views
Where is the weather data for the Garmin G1000 retrieved from?
In a few videos I saw the possibility of looking for example at wind data. Now my question would be where does the G1000 gets the data from?
6
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3answers
330 views
Is a weather briefing required? [closed]
Are pilots legally required to obtain a weather briefing prior to some or all flights?
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0answers
144 views
Did these weather conditions require the airline to cancel a flight? [duplicate]
[I do not believe this question duplicates a previous question, which involves different conditions and circumstances]
I'm interested in the airline's response to a query of mine about why a flight ...
2
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1answer
101 views
What is the relationship between mountain breeze and air pressure?
I am studying for my PPL and am having some problems understanding the mountain breeze phenomenon, especially when it comes to my understanding of pressure.
Basically, I've read that during the day ...
11
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2answers
444 views
How do airlines handle SIGMETS?
In general, what is the action taken by airlines when presented with a SIGMET in the projected route. Will they go around it, cancel the flight prior to takeoff, or simply fly thought it anyway?
As ...
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0answers
45 views
How do commercial pilots know turbulence is ahead? [duplicate]
On commercial flights, an announcement will be made if turbulence is expected ahead and if the route will be adjusted such as moving to a higher altitude.
How do pilots know that turbulence is ahead ...
